Krystal Kyle & Friends (private feed for slynque@hotmail.com)

Episode 232 Audio: Pastor Benjamin Dixon

Zohran Mamdani won big in New York, and Dems are having a meltdown about it. How dare a Muslim socialist focusing on helping working people win the class war prevail over a disgraced sex offender? Cuomo had dark money on his side and used it to spread a message of fear about crime and homelessness in the city, trying to scare people into voting for the status quo. Cuomo and the media also baselessly smeared Zohran as an anti-Semite for daring to criticize Israel’s genocidal attacks on Palestinians. But it didn’t work. New Yorkers want better for themselves and future generations, and their knowledge of Cuomo’s governance (and travails under the Eric Adams mayoralty) has left them wanting more than the same old establishment candidates have to offer.Also in this episode, Pastor Dixon brings our attention to a serious problem sweeping social media, especially X: violent rhetoric directed at the black community, pointing toward actual mob violence. He points to Grok’s assessment of this rhetoric on X, which predicted a 50 percent chance of targeted violence against the black community in the next 18 months and a 30 percent chance of mob violence in the next two years. It’s a terrifying and bleak time as we witness the encouragement of disgusting racism from the highest echelons of our government.We talk about this time and what the left can do about it in this week’s episode. Thanks for tuning in. Today’s episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 231 Audio: Cenk Uygur

This week we sat down with TYT’s Cenk Uygur to hash out our disagreements on how to approach Trump 2.0. This debate comes in the midst of Trump and Netanyahu’s regime change war in Iran and as we await Trump’s final decision on whether we will start directly bombing Iran ourselves. Notably, a number of MAGA voices have vocally opposed direct engagement. Does this anti-war commentary represent a genuine rift in MAGA which can constrain Trump’s actions and peel off some of his committed base?When Krystal and Cenk last spoke in December (full convo here) Cenk expressed a sense of optimism that the the populist right and the bro comedians in Trump’s coalition would both hold him accountable and create the possibility of some genuinely beneficial outcomes. Has this prediction been vindicated? What ultimately is the most effective strategy to block the worst of Trump’s horrors, win elections, and end the rise of fascism in America? Krystal, Kyle, and Cenk get into all this and much more in a spirited debate. Enjoy!This episode is also available on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 230: Pisco

For Episode 230 of KK&F, we sit down with YouTuber and lawyer Pisco and talk about the devastation and terror that Trump has brought upon immigrant communities in the U.S. Recent protests in L.A. reflect the anger of city residents at the cruelty of ICE agents abducting their neighbors. We take a look with Pisco at the political conditions that created these protests, as well as the brutal local and federal responses.We also talk about the potential of a Trump impeachment. From Trump’s NFTs and crypto scams to his refusal to divest from his businesses, it looks like there are plenty of cases for removing Trump from office. How can we turn that into a situation that translates to lower numbers for Republicans at the polls? We get Pisco’s thoughts on the question of Trump’s impeachment — which becomes a question of when Republicans in the House will grow a backbone and turn the party away from fascism. Watch our thoughts on this, as well as the upcoming NYC election, above.Thanks for joining us for KK&F. Remember that you can listen to this episode on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 229 Audio: Saikat Chakrabarti

We’re thrilled to have Former AOC chief of Staff, Saikat Chakrabarti on the podcast this week! Saikat is a co-founder of Justice Democrats as well as AOC’s former chief of staff. That’s to say that he’s played a hugely important role in progressive politics over the past years and has his finger on the pulse. By his own account, he decided to run when he saw Democrats doing nothing as Trump ascended to power a second time. Now, with an authoritarian in power, Saikat is both a talented, experienced progressive activist and an observer of everything that’s failed about establishment, gerontocratic politics in California’s 11th congressional district. Unlike Pelosi, who has refused to assess how the Democrats let the people down leading up to and after the 2024 election, Saikat is ready for the Democratic Party to hold itself to account. By his account, the way for Democrats to move forward isn’t denying that this erosion of the Democratic voter base is happening; the Dems need to confront the erosion head-on in order to win people back. In the age of Trump, and especially as Trump destroys our social support system, filling in political potholes won’t be enough. Renewing faith in our political institutions, as he suggests, will. Getting money out of politics will, too. Those are the things Saikat is interested in accomplishing in office, and we’re excited to see the rest of his campaign.Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 228 Audio: Naomi Klein

In this conversation with Naomi Klein, we identify the destructive rampaging of the Trump government as an incredibly nearsighted political program: it’s not building a sustainable and just government for the well-being of future generations. On the contrary, it’s running everything into the ground for a quick buck. Naomi mentions that even though aforesaid tech overlords have no scruples when it comes to wreaking havoc on the earth for working-class people everywhere, they harbor a strange obsession with surviving the downfall of Earth through technological advances. There may be an afterlife for those who can pay their way. But for everyone stuck here and doomed to go down with the ship, end-times fascism may well be our death sentence.That’s why, with our brilliant guest, we take on the topic of what political strategies will be necessary to combat this newest stage in our country’s political development. How can a grassroots left, disassembled and demoralized post-Sanders and in the wake of a second Trump win, circle its wagons and pose a real threat to the tech goons stripping our world for parts? Naomi sees an opportunity for people to “get out of our little comfort zones” and build a broad coalition that pits the many against the few.You can listen to this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and other major streaming platforms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe